Stuff I Like of Late
I've collected yearbooks from flea markets for ages: they give me an opportunity to draw lots of faces framed in similar ways so I can focus on their differences. John Marz had really outdone me by drawings every single person in his mom's 1968 yearbook. I urge you to check em out and consider drawing more faces yourself.
A month and a half ago, Schunnin decided to tackle every EDM challenge since the beginning and is doing an amazing job. See the results here.
I just got At a Crossroads: Between a Rock and My Parents' Place, the new book from Kate Williamson. It's a memoir of the year or so she spend living at her parents' house. Nice watercolors, though the story is a little depressing. You may remember her last book, A Year in Japan, which I wrote about a couple of years ago.
Peter Callesen makes paper sculptures or cutouts that are so imaginative and beautifully crafted. His drawings are oddly different from the meticulous sculptures but interesting to see.
And my current favorite movies is a Japanese one called "The Taste of Tea" which is a celebration of the creative life. Check it out if you can find it. I got it from Netflix.
Zak Smith whose work I first saw in '04 Whitney Biennial is posting daily pages from his sketchbook. Raw, energetic stuff that I wish I could emulate.
And, to anyone reading this and saying, "When the hell is Danny going to stop talking about other people's stuff and share some of his own?" I promise I shall be posting a few new drawings and projects very soon.
Comments
Excellent idea. I will give it a whirl one day. Cheers!
Posted by: Sandra Khoo | April 18, 2008 01:16 PM
Schunnin is freakin' amazing!
What fun to see all the EDM's in one spot...from one artist...and in numerical order!
Thanks Danny for sharing with all of us these wonderful places to visit and inspiring people to become acquainted with.
BTW...you're freakin' amazing, too!
Posted by: Margaret Ann | April 18, 2008 06:52 PM
Peter Callesen is pure genius!
Whew! What a breathtaking joy to see! Thanks!
Posted by: Margaret Ann | April 18, 2008 07:05 PM
Thanks for the recommendations, Danny. I love "A Year in Japan" so will be checking out Kate Williamson's new book.
Anyone who loves Peter Callesen's work might also want to look at Rob Ryan's wonderful paper cut book "This Is For You". I've also just finished Markus Zusak's novel "The Book Thief", in which a sketch book and the idea of journalling, both visually and verbally, play a central role. It's a fantastic book and reminded me of the importance of writing and drawing as a means of coping with the worst and celebrating the best that life has to throw at you.
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April 19, 2008 04:23 AM
I loved all this you have mentioned but what I liked most was the ease of seeing the drawings. Especially Schunnin work all together one after another. i find the EDM post to get confusing when I just want to get to the sketch.
Thanks again for all you share! Susan
Posted by: Susan | April 23, 2008 06:58 PM
Yearbooks! What a fabulous idea for practicing portraiture. love that notion. thanks for the inspiration. I look through them at flea markets and didn't think of that, even though I do sometimes buy old photos just because I love the clothing and hair and styles, etc... Anyway, great idea!
Posted by: sue | May 8, 2008 09:29 PM